light the way back home
by chinarai
Summary: Keith and Shiro in the aftermath, back on Earth, with a confession hanging heavy over their heads. Post season 06
1. baby, i just survived

Okay, this is the last of the vld work that's on my ao3 but isn't here, so I'm just going to post it all at once.

Post season 6 when I was dying of feels (still am). Title's from Gorillaz- Fire Flies

* * *

It's a long way home. Keith's weariness only makes the trip stretch out for much longer, seemingly endless, but he doesn't mind it, not in the least, not when Shiro's body - the real Shiro - is curled into his own as he pilots Black with only one hand.

The steady rise and fall of his chest is comforting in Keith's arm, as is Shiro's warm breath fanning a patch of skin that's bare in his neck. He's been unconscious since they took off, and Krolia had only half-heartedly offered to look after him, fully aware that Keith would decline.

His arm tightens around Shiro unconsciously, pulling him closer, and beneath Keith's palm, his heart beats, beautifully alive.

Krolia sits somewhere behind his seat, methodically sharpening a blade that doesn't need any sharpening, but it's only an act, a way to keep her focus somewhere but on them. Keith is deeply grateful for that and for what feels like the tenth time in a minute, resists the urge to dip his head down and bury his nose in Shiro's hair or kiss his forehead.

Their pet wolf struts to his side, peering up at him with his ever expressive eyes. Keith smiles down at him, releases the control to give his midnight fur a good ruffle, scratches him beneath the chin, and the actions seem to quench his need for attention. With a slight wag of his tail, he walks towards Krolia and lies by her side with his characteristic heavy sigh, settling down for a nap.

Keith takes a moment to check their trajectory and shares a few words with the rest of the team before turning off communication and slumping slightly on his seat. He knows Black will keep on moving in a straight line, so he allows himself to wrap both arms around Shiro and get him as close as he possibly can.

The seat is small for the both of them, Shiro on his lap, legs dangling off the side. Keith glides his fingertips along his bare arm, wistfully wishing his hands could be bare as well so he could feel the warmth of Shiro's skin against his own. They ghost over his neck and touch his hair with care. It will take some time getting used to the new color, but Keith would love him all the same, even if he dyed his hair electric blue.

Whatever color is fine, as long as it's Shiro that's with him.

Keith touches his sharp jaw, strokes along it with his thumb from chin to ear, staring at the motion with half-lidded eyes. He did really say that, did really voice his thoughts aloud. He wonders briefly if Shiro somehow remembers them, if Shiro knows he will go to great lengths to ensure he's safe. Keith will do anything to keep him from harm, will do anything and everything in his power to make Shiro happy.

His heart aches in a good way, somehow, and Keith faintly feels like he could cry in relief.

He looks up at the controls, reaches out for his friends, once again makes sure they haven't strayed off path. It seems redundant, but Keith wants to get to Earth as soon as possible so Shiro can rest on a real bed, however dusty his modest shack in the desert is after long months of abandonment.

When he looks back down, Shiro is awake. It catches Keith off guard, but he masks it well and takes in the clearness of his eyes, as if Shiro hadn't been sleeping for the past hour. Keith smiles down at him, feeling somewhat shy, and whispers. "Hey."

Shiro breathes in deeply, lets it out in a long sigh and curls his lips. "Hey."

The smile is small and just as intimate as the way they gaze at each other. Keith traces it with the pad of his thumb and Shiro's lips part as his eyes slip shut. "How are you feeling?"

Behind them, Krolia doesn't show signs that she can hear them in the quietness of the cockpit interlaced with strokes of metal on stone.

"Tired," Shiro says with a huff of breath that Keith takes as a laugh. "Sorta feels like I'm jetlagged."

Keith chuckles, sweeps his thumb along a silver eyebrow. "Go back to sleep, Shiro."

"I don't want to." His hand lifts from where it rests over his stomach and slowly travels to Keith's chest, pressing flat and soft on his sternum. "I haven't seen you in so long."

Never before had Keith seen Shiro's big hands as anything close to delicate, but in the state he's in now, that's what it seems like. The touch is featherlight, his movements are slow. He's exhausted in ways Keith can't describe, and he finds comfort in knowing that now he's back where he belongs.

He takes his hand, feels his knuckles beneath his thumb. No amount of touching Shiro seems to be enough. It had never been, but now in the wake of everything, stopping seems impossible.

Keith kisses his knuckles, turns his hand over so he can plant his lips on his palm. Shiro's eyes widen and then drop, suspiciously bright and watery. "Sleep." He presses again, and his heart swells with affection at the way Shiro looks at him. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I promise."


	2. just stay with me

Title's from Fall Out Boy - Jet Pack Blues

* * *

"It looks just as I remember."

Yes, it does look the same, just as Keith remembers from the memories they shared in the Quantum Abyss. Years of neglect didn't change it much, aside from the chipped paint and the precarious state of the already broken fence, though they still have to check the inside and take in how dusty it must be.

The original plan had been to go to his desert shack that, actually, isn't so far away from his childhood home, but coming back here when he'd lost everything he had left, namely Shiro and his place in the Garrison, wasn't appealing back then. Krolia had suggested coming here, and he wasn't so opposed to the idea since a bigger place would accomodate them all better than his one-room shack ever could.

The door opens with a loud whine of protest and Krolia sweeps into the room like a hurricane, patting dust away from the couch before Keith places a drowsy Shiro on it. The small living room is crowded with people, all of which look at Shiro with some wonder on their faces still. He's awake, but too disoriented to do much, and rubs at his face tiredly before falling asleep again, a cycle that's been going on for days.

Keith finds his voice and breaks the team into smaller groups to get some tasks done. They're all exhausted, with bags and shadows under their eyes despite the breaks they took in random planets to get some sleep, but there's much that needs to be done. He fishes a jar from a shelf and passes it to Hunk and Lance with instructions to get the red hoverbike up and running from the shack, and to go into town to buy supplies, as many as they can with the money inside the jar. Pidge returns to the Green Lion to contact the Coalition and check up on Matt. Krolia and Romelle wash as many old sheets, blankets and clothes as they can and then tackle the kitchen to wash plates, cutlery, pots and things alike.

Coran and Allura offer to help Keith tidy up the rest of the house. He doesn't know much about Allura's past and and doubts she ever had to sweep and polish floors, but she does her best, cleaning every single trinket on the shelves with a rag and a lot of patience. Both Alteans take turns in asking him questions about things they find lying around and Keith seizes the distraction instead of desperately trying to form a plan.

They need a plan, but they just got Shiro back and he needs to recover. Keith thinks the team won't be opposed to taking a short break, just two or three days, just a little so they can take a breath, so he can be sure this is real and not a dream.

Outside, the hoverbike roars and the duo continues to drive away towards the city.

The loud noise is enough to snap Shiro awake with a jolt where he sits sprawled on the couch. The three of them are upon him in the same instant, trying to not crowd him and yet too worried to stay away. He's been slipping in and out of consciousness for the last hour, making a visible effort to stay awake, but only managing to keep his eyes open for about a minute before sleep claims him again.

This time, though, he remains awake. Keith wishes he could have woken up on his own, without the revving of the bike to disrupt his sleep and shatter his dreams abruptly. It sent his heart rate skyrocketing and it shows on his face. That had been Lance, certainly. He is going to get an earful from either Keith or Allura by the time they come back.

Shiro deflates once he recognizes their faces, slumping on the thin cushion with a weary sigh. Yorak comes running inside from wherever he's been exploring, weaving through their legs before settling beside Keith.

"How do you feel?" Allura asks as she sinks slowly by his side, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Better now." With perfect timing, Romelle comes from the kitchen with two glasses of water in hand, which he drinks quickly. "For how long was I asleep?"

"At least four days, young man." Coran supplies and gives Romelle a grateful nod as she returns to the adjacent room. "It would be ideal to have something to eat, but Hunk and Lance have yet to return."

Shiro shrugs halfheartedly. "I'm not hungry." And then he's looking at Keith as he says, "Can we go outside?"

No one objects. If he wanted to go out on his own, if he could , they wouldn't say anything, yet he asks Keith to accompany him and Coran consents because there isn't much left to do in the house anyway, and who are they to deny him anything now? Allura lingers by Shiro's side as he stands, steady, firm hands on his arm to help him up, and waves them off as they exit, his arm slung around Keith's shoulder as they walk outside.

The sky is alive with a splash of colors as the sun dips in the horizon. Pidge walks up to them on her way back from Green, smiling wide as they slow to a stop. "Good to see you up, Shiro." She hugs him, tender and brief. "I've contacted Matt. Once he's close enough, I'm going up to get him."

Keith nods. "Thanks, Pidge."

With a thumbs up, she goes inside the house. He's sure they all have a lot of things they want to ask Shiro, but they also understand his need to take a breath of fresh air and sort things out on his own.

They don't go very far. It reminds Keith of when they stood outside his shack once, months ago at the crack of dawn, when Shiro had been recovered from the Galra ship after his disappearance. He observes the man in question in silence, only half registering Yorak's quick steps as he runs towards Kaltenecker somewhere to their right.

There's a lot to absorb and make up for, and Keith can't begin to fathom how hard it must be for Shiro to be here now, wind in his hair, sun on his face, so many sounds and so many smells, so many things he hasn't felt since the second time he went missing. Shiro doesn't say much, just stands there on his own, casually shifting his weight around to feel the sand accommodate to his movements beneath the soles of his shoes, his way of masking the subtle swaying of his body. Sometimes Keith can hear his deep intake of breath and the long exhale that follows. He looks at Shiro and sees him with eyes closed savoring it all and then with eyes open to take it in.

The bike hums in the distance, parks smoothly before the porch. Hunk and Lance don't call out to them, but acknowledge Keith with a wave and join everyone else inside, bags and more bags of food and supplies in their arms. It's a good thing Keith never took anything from this house before he left, not even the jar full of bills of low value and change he saved throughout all his years spent here.

Now it's just the both of them outside. Them and the darkening sky. Shiro looks up to see the first stars blink to life and Keith takes his time to watch his profile. Not for the first time, he wonders if Shiro remembers, if he retained his clone's memories, if he recalls the few minutes he spent awake on Keith's lap on their way back to Earth, the way he'd smiled softly, the way Keith had kissed his hand.

Shiro turns to him, catches him staring, and his lips curl pleasantly. Keith half expects him to place a hand on his shoulder, but Shiro offers his hand instead, waits for him to take it, weaves their fingers together when Keith does. As Shiro tugs him closer, Keith muses on the different ways of hand holding. There's when you wrap your fingers around someone's hand so you won't get lost, and then there's this, fingers fitting perfectly into gaps, tips pressing into knuckles. A stronger grip harder to break, like their bond, he thinks, unbreakable even after all they went through.

They'll have to talk eventually. About everything that happened, about all that's happening right now, unresolved issues, confessions, feelings . Shiro releases Keith's hand and instead places it on his waist, caresses his way to his back, pulling the smaller, but stronger than before, body closer, and Keith returns the hug just as tightly.

All of that can wait a little longer, though.


	3. melt your headaches, call it home

Title's from Panic! at the Disco - Nothern Downpour

* * *

Keith finds himself in the kitchen later, helping Hunk prepare dinner. He's an average cook, able to whip up something edible, but not as tasty and presentable as Hunk can. He busies himself with washing and chopping produce as his friend tends to the pots on the stove. Yorak lies by the doorway, eyes closed but ears open for the possibility of snatching a piece of anything that might fall from the counter.

As much as he and everyone else are worried, they give Shiro some space so he won't feel worse than he already does, and it's much easier to leave his side when Keith has something to focus on. Keith can read how unhappy he is with how the conflict ended despite how much Shiro tries to hide it, and often tries to keep the right side of his face turned away so Shiro won't have to stare at the scar and feel misplaced guilt choking him. He's in the living room right now and Keith can hear as they talk about anything, but the clone and Lotor and Haggar.

He thinks Allura is infinitely grateful for the distraction too.

Krolia comes inside through the backdoor from her walk, nods at them on her way to the living room to begin the sleeping arrangements. They have two bedrooms and a single bathroom in the hallway upstairs. Romelle is ushered to shower first, then Allura and finally Coran. Pidge teaches them how to use the shower, an antique model even to Earth standards that certainly seems ancient to the technologically advanced people of Altea.

It feels good to sit on the floor of the living room and eat from a chipped plate in the company of people he hasn't seen in two years. Mealtime on their way to Earth was often rushed, and back on the Quantum Abyss it was a quiet affair. The atmosphere is light and the home cooked meal warms them and eases the group into a state of relaxation. Lance cracks a joke and Keith feels hot inside when Shiro allows himself to laugh at it throatily, however brief it lasts.

Coran washes the dishes as Romelle and Allura put them away. The rest of the team prepares for bed, and both Keith and Krolia agree to be the last ones to shower as they slip into the master bedroom to arrange the few stuff they brought. Krolia pats a pile of old clothes his father had, freshly washed and dried, and the gesture seems so full of longing and affection that Keith turns away.

"Mom, please." He says when Krolia settles herself on the thick, folded blanket that serves as a makeshift mattress. "Take the bed, I'll sleep on the ground."

It had taken time for him to call her mom, and ever since the first time, back on that whale, she still looks at him with so much love in her eyes that it makes him want to squirm. "Keith, baby, Shiro's going to sleep on the bed. I'm not going to share it with him."

His neck feels like it's burning and he groans into his hand. Their bond grew as they shared memories, most of which included Shiro, and it led to Krolia shooting him pointed glances until he understood what she'd been trying to imply. He neither confirmed nor declined her unvoiced question, but knew that she knew the answer already. Sharing a bed with Shiro would've been so much easier if he hadn't realized how he felt and hadn't confessed, even if it hadn't been to him.

She must have seen something on his face, read something in his posture, because she's on him suddenly, smoothing his hair away from his face before pulling him into a hug. "It will be okay, Keith. Whatever happens, it'll be okay."

A hesitant knock on the door makes them pull apart. Shiro, only half dressed, gives them a sheepish smile and Krolia excuses herself to the bathroom, leaving with a change of clothes tucked under her arm. At a loss of what to do, Keith tells him to pick a side on the bed and picks through the change of clothes already set aside to sleep in. Shiro is wearing grey sweatpants, holding a washed out blue shirt in his hand, a damp towel draped around his shoulders. These articles are going to be added to his temporary wardrobe, unlike the black vest that once belonged to his father too and became one of Shiro's favorite pieces.

"Where's your mom going to sleep?"

"The floor," Keith replies without looking him in the eye. "She insists on it."

"Oh."

Oh indeed.

Keith pushes all of it - doubts he hadn't had to worry about before, feelings that took him so long to come to terms with - aside, for Shiro's sake. Things can't get weird just because they're going to share a bed when he piloted Black with Shiro on his lap and they held hands together outside mere hours ago.

And besides, Shiro needs help. Keith knows how to read him well, maybe knows him better than Keith knows himself, and so it's easy to tell when something is off. Shiro's got that look on his face that says he wants to ask for help, but also doesn't want to seem weak because he's a natural born leader, and it hurts Keith a little that he's hesitating to ask him for help. Maybe it's everything that happened, Keith muses. Maybe it's the fight he's avoided talking about. Maybe he shouldn't have left him alone in the bathroom after all, but hadn't wanted to make Shiro feel like he couldn't handle himself.

Keith approaches him in three strides. His hair is dripping wet, drops falling on the beige of the towel, and Keith dries the silver strands, painted yellow under the artificial, cozy light. Taller now, his forehead is aligned with Shiro's lips. If he were to lean forward, he could kiss Keith's forehead easily.

He shoves the thought aside, tosses the towel on the bed carelessly, and helps Shiro slip into the long sleeved shirt. Keith smiles through the process, letting it widen when it's settled and Shiro gives him a nod and smile in return.

Krolia comes into the room, Yorak in tow, and Keith takes his leave. He washes himself as quickly and thoroughly as he can, both because he's dead on his feet and the water is so cold it reminds him of the bodies of water on that space whale's back. He thought he'd be used to it by now, but apparently being around technology for a while got him unnaccustomed far too quickly. His dad's clothes are still oversized on his body; the sleeves too long for his arms and the pants drag across the floor, but it's all he has until he goes shopping for clothes.

His mother is already asleep when he returns, Yorak curled by her side. Shiro has picked his side of the bed, closest to the door, turned away as he looks at the stars outside. Keith slips quietly under the covers and leaves a good space between them just in case, sighing softly as the mattress dips beneath him and his head sinks into the pillow. Shiro is looking at him now, eyes bright and beautiful and full of fondness. The tiny, nearly nonexistent sappy side of Keith thinks that, if he leans close enough, he can see the stars reflected in Shiro's eyes. He pulls the blanket up to his face to hide a potential blush despite the darkness of the room.

"Keith," Shiro's murmur is barely audible. Keith understands why he chose that side of the bed when his fingers tug the blanket away.

"Yes, Shiro?" His voice is hoarse with sleep and his vision is bleary already.

Keith fights his weariness, tries to keep his eyes open, but it's hard and they're watering, and his body is begging him to rest, but Shiro - Shiro was about so say something and he's more important than anything. Keith loves him and will still sacrifice himself for Shiro regardless of how he feels. Maybe he loves him too, maybe he doesn't, and Keith tries to assure himself that it's okay, that he doesn't need it to be mutual, that having Shiro around and alive is enough, but it hurts not knowing. The possibility that the feeling is one sided leaves Keith feeling a peculiar kind of pain.

He truly, honestly, really, desperately wants to clear things up, wants to repeat the words whether Shiro remembers them or not, wants to know if it's reciprocated, but at the same time doesn't want to face this just yet, doesn't want Shiro to think he owes Keith something for bringing him back.

Shiro's lips part, but shut again shortly after, having given up on whatever he was going to say. Instead, he curls his fingers around Keith's sleeve and gives it a slight tug, coaxing him in silence to come a little closer. He complies. He's not going to deny Shiro some physical comfort when he asks for it, even if his heart is doing somersaults in his chest and his nerve endings are thrumming when their bodies touch. They are best friends first and foremost, and he's not going to let his feelings change or get in the way of that.

Keith traces his fingers up and down Shiro's spine, the light touch meant to be comforting. Shiro has his own working on dark strands, combing through Keith's hair tenderly, pushing him closer and closer to dreamland.

If Shiro turns him down, at least he'll have this memory, so Keith allows himself to enjoy the moment, even if it might hurt him in the future.

"Keith," he whispers again, breath playing with strands of hair on his forehead.

Keith's only response is to tighten his arm around Shiro's waist, bury his face deeper in his neck. They both smell the same. Everyone in this house smells the same, a minty scent for the shampoo and fennel of the soap. But on Shiro, it smells infinitely better.

"I remember," Shiro says, but Keith is too tired, mind too sluggish. He makes a noncommittal noise and succumbs to sleep.


	4. i still feel

Title's from Fall Out Boy - The Kids Aren't Alright

* * *

Krolia is different from the other Blades Shiro has met. Judging by the few he's seen unmasked, he believes they are mostly serious, stone-faced, with eyes that betray nothing. He's sure she was like that at some point, still is in missions even, and perhaps reuniting with her son made her softer around the edges. She smiles, she is caring, and currently she's making sure he has everything he needs before turning in for the night.

The lights go out. She assures him that Keith can see well in the darkness. He hears Yorak trotting on the hardwood floor and settling down with a sigh.

There's this memory, hazy, as if he's watching it through a foggy window, accompanied by a feeling that's both foreign and familiar. Keith leaving Voltron for the Blade of Marmora, Shiro hoping he would never lose the traits that made him what he is, Shiro afraid that Keith would suppress his emotions too much and become like the rest of his fellow Blades.

Shiro has been turning it over in his head. This memory and many others, trying to separate what is his and what is the clone's. It doesn't sit well with him that there was an imposter with the team all along, it never did. While Keith had been there to pilot the Black Lion, as rocky as his ascension to leadership had been, Shiro had been sure everything would be alright in the end. And then he went away, and he came, and Shiro was left to wonder what had happened.

In trying to tell apart the memories, some unwanted questions rise up and he has to quickly lock them away before they take over. What if he has been a clone all along? What if his real body is still stuck somewhere inside a Galra ship? In a lab or the arena? How will they know? When will all of this end? Will they ever leave him alone?

Shiro takes a shuddering breath, hoping Krolia won't hear it and ask what's wrong, and turns to lie on his side to look at the stars. No, he tells himself, if that were the case, they would have done it much earlier. Zarkon wouldn't have lost the first battle. This is his nerves talking, his anxiety, his fears.

He is okay. They told him so - Keith told him so.

Shiro touches the lock of hair that falls on his forehead, feels its texture. Earlier, he had spent most of his time in the bathroom looking at his reflection in the mirror until he got too troubled with it that he couldn't stand there any longer. The scars he had taken so long to accept are all gone, as well as a few birthmarks he used to have. He can hardly recognize himself; no scars, white hair and… Lighter eyes? Or was that just the lightning of the bathroom?

He only notices Keith is in the room again when he tugs at the blanket. His presence alone is enough to put most of Shiro's fears at bay. They seep away from his body, he feels lighter, and his head seems clearer. Something stirs within him and his mind is flooded with memories of them over the years, how much they had changed, Keith especially, grown to be a strong and capable adult. His head is still spinning, trying to grasp onto the fact that Keith aged two years while a mere handful of days had passed in the Castleship, and Shiro had missed it all.

Keith is looking at him now as he hides the lower half of his face behind the blanket. Looking at him like this, one wouldn't think he is capable of so much, of standing his ground against a berserk Shiro, of being so strong and resilient and loyal, willing to die to bring him back to his senses.

Their fight flashes behind his eyes. Shiro insistently pushes it aside.

"Keith." Only after the word is out of his mouth and he tugs down the blanket, does Shiro realize he spoke in the first place.

Keith's eyelids are drooping and it won't be long until he falls asleep for good. Shiro has so much to say, apologies on the tip of his tongue, ready to spring forth when he spots the scar on Keith's cheek. He swallows it all back down. This isn't the time for it, not to mention he doesn't know how to approach the topic that he, this body, had tried to kill the one person he cherishes the most.

Shiro beckons him to come closer instead, fingers wrapped around the shirt sleeve, and Keith comes at once, unafraid, without hesitation. He barely suppresses a shiver when Keith traces a line along his back, and Shiro plays with his hair, soft the way he remembers it.

Most of their fight plays behind Shiro's eyes, so clear he could swear he was taken back in time to relive it. The awful things he said, all the times he landed a hit on Keith, when he had nearly ended it for once and for al, all of it will haunt him. He remembers a sudden second of clarity and then nothing, only the endless sensation of falling like in a dream. Shiro doesn't know what happened then, no one will tell him, not yet.

"Keith," he tries again. All Keith does is press his nose to his neck, and Shiro's heart leaps at the contact.

Shiro had never thought he would feel his heart skip a beat ever again.

"I remember." He does, quite clearly like crystal water in a sunny day, the words that Keith spoke so honestly, back flat against the metal floor and a weapon to his neck.

I love you.

Keith had always been special, someone Shiro swore to keep close and never give up, someone to always protect, although the roles are now reversed more often than not. Keith had always been his best friend, someone akin to a brother, yet so much more than that. Keith was Keith, and he fell in a category Shiro never knew how to classify.

It wasn't until Shiro was trapped within Black, more attuned to Keith's mind than he had ever been thanks to the bond they both shared with the Lion, that he began to make sense of his feelings the more he saw Keith hurting because he was missing. What he felt for Keith turned into something unique, and with it came the pain that there was no hope to be with him again.

And when he looks back now, he sees memories that surely aren't his own, interlaced with strong feelings that rival what he feels right now. Tender touches, longing glances, the occasional hug that stretches on for more than necessary. The clone was perfect, with his memories and ideals, and feelings for Keith that, too, shifted at some point. He supposes it would be funny that Keith made two versions of Shiro fall for him if the circumstances behind it weren't so tragic.

Shiro had never known what to do with his feelings in the Astral Plane, and now that he's free, he's afraid that Keith will feel pressured to return them just to make him happy.

He knows the lengths Keith will go for his sake. More than that, he has witnessed firsthand how strongly Keith feels for him, how every battle had been dedicated to Shiro, how Keith had never stopped looking, never gave up hope, never let his feelings waver. And Shiro remembers his words, remembers the warmth of his body, his arms around him, the kisses Keith placed on his hand. Shiro laced their fingers together and Keith didn't pull away. Shiro asked him to come closer and Keith now sleeps curled into him.

Even if Keith hadn't said anything, his actions spoke louder than words.

Shiro had died. Keith nearly died too. They're here now, though, alive, safe, breathing. Keith loves him, and Shiro loves him in return. It will be so easy to admit it, he can do this at any time of the day, he can do it in the morning.

I love you.

He shouldn't, though. It was because of him that Keith almost had an early death, it was the person behind this hand carding through his dark hair that nearly delivered the ending blow. Keith may love him, but he deserves so much better, so much more than a person that was captured, tortured, experimented on, that was cloned and died, and still tried to take his life.

Shiro cups his jaw, runs a thumb over the arc of the new scar, brushes his lips over it as tenderly as he can. It's suffocating. Loving this much, so strongly, so fiercely, is suffocating, and he thinks that, maybe, it's okay for him to be selfish at least once before death do them apart for good.

"I love you too."


End file.
